– Bonds can bring fans and TV viewers with him and help reduce the perennial interest gap between the Bay Area teams. Look at this Lew Wolff letter to see how much he focuses on the Giants.

– Even in his declining years, he’s a high on-base percentage guy (.454 last year) for a GM who lives by that stat.

— He is more valuable to an AL team because he will get more at-bats if he’s not all stiff from playing the outfield (plus, he’s a stiff in the outfield himself).

– He’s better liked in the Bay Area than anyplace else on the principle that “even if he’s a jerk, he’s a homeboy.” At the Coliseum in May, he got a mostly positive reception even from those of us wearing green.

Main problem: The Giants could tell him goodbye, if it’s to any other AL team. But I don’t think Magowan & Co. have much choice but to pay him whatever it takes to keep him from going to their main business competitor.